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HB1004 Would Restrict Hospital MonopoliesIndiana’s not-for-profit hospitals are among the most profitable businesses in the United States.

The 2023 ForecastThe reason for worry about a recession is the Federal Reserve’s response to high inflation.

Some Labor Market Facts You Won’t Read ElsewhereIndiana is simply not producing a 21st century workforce.

Three Types of Public DebtAll types of public debt are effectively transfers of wealth from the future to our present selves.

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Commentaries tagged with government

January 22, 2023 Some Labor Market Facts You Won’t Read ElsewhereIndiana is simply not producing a 21st century workforce.
January 15, 2023 Three Types of Public DebtAll types of public debt are effectively transfers of wealth from the future to our present selves.
December 11, 2022 READI Grant Is Great for Most of IndianaBusinesses and households value public services more highly than public infrastructure spending.
December 4, 2022 Inflation Will Make the Legislature’s Job Difficult This YearThe budget challenges faced by state legislatures are twofold.
November 13, 2022 The Timing of Economic PolicyCentral planning of economic activity likely will result in wasteful, ineffective policies.
October 23, 2022 The Badness of National Conservatism IdeologyA political movement that rejects the fundamentals of our Constitution is, by definition, anti-American.
October 9, 2022 A Recession Is Time to Think About the Long TermManufacturing employment is now a smaller part of our economy than it was in previous downturns.
September 25, 2022 Two economic lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian WarOne lesson is about public spending on services, the other about free trade.
September 18, 2022 Why Do We Care About a Monarchy?Strong, stable, adaptable institutions help us navigate change while ensuring continuity.
September 4, 2022 Lingering Effects of COVID on WorkThe U.S. is still about 1.0 percent below its pre-COVID participation rate.
July 31, 2022 Trying to Measure the Effect of Abortion Bans on Our EconomyThe effect we see right now is vastly different from what we’ll see in a few years.
July 17, 2022 My 750th ColumnColumns like mine are designed to help people think about issues they might otherwise not read about.
June 26, 2022 Inflation Affects Each Family DifferentlyWe understand earthquakes and hurricanes better than we do inflation.
June 12, 2022 Time to Dump the Rich States, Poor States RankingsTax policy is the wrong incentive to spur economic growth.
May 29, 2022 Let Us Ask More of Ourselves on Memorial DayToday’s challenges demand an understanding of evolving facts and trends.
February 27, 2022 The Cost of Russian WarStopping tyrants is less costly done early on.
December 12, 2021 The 2022 ForecastFrom retail and restaurants to logistics and manufacturing firms, the U.S. economy has been astonishingly resilient.
December 5, 2021 Some More Talk About Inflation RisksA price increase does not equate inflation.
November 21, 2021 Tax Debate Should Be About Value of Government Services, Not PriceOver the past two decades, Indiana cut business taxes and saw agonizingly slow economic growth.
November 14, 2021 It Is Time to Be Honest About Debt, Spending and TaxationSpending that makes us more productive often pays for itself through increased GDP that is then taxed.
August 22, 2021 How to Think About the Infrastructure BillInfrastructure spending reallocates jobs far more often than it creates them.
July 18, 2021 Free Speech and Senate Bill 414The origin of free speech problems on campus lie primarily outside the classroom.
July 4, 2021 The Ideals of Independence DayLiberty flows from the simple act of being human, not from government, religion, ancestry or race.
June 13, 2021 Some Early Census Results for IndianaPeople are the driving force of economic growth.
June 6, 2021 What Economists Got Right and Wrong about COVIDShifts in labor, occupational structure, and community amenities influence the degree of recovery.
February 14, 2021 Stop Restricting Indianapolis GrowthIn the 21st century, a full 85 percent of the state’s population growth happened within the Indianapolis metro area.
September 20, 2020 The Real Problem with Our National DebtIt’s important to explain how the debt does and does not matter.
September 13, 2020 Confusing Economic Statistics in the Time of COVID-19Americans should be pleased with the economists, statisticians and data scientists examining our complex economic climate.
August 30, 2020 Gresham’s Law and Subsidized ApartmentsTax dollars that should’ve gone to schools, public safety and other purposes will now supporting new ‘executive housing.’
May 17, 2020 It’s the Disease, Not the GovernmentConsumer spending changed before any government restrictions were implemented.
March 8, 2020 A Decelerating Economy on the Brink of RecessionThe arrival of Covid-19 is already exacting a toll on the weakened manufacturing sector.
May 12, 2019 Taking Seriously a Socialist CritiqueWhat part of criticism of our market economy is right, and what should we do about it?
March 11, 2018 Rustbelt Cities Must Focus on Middle Class NeighborhoodsSchool quality is always the most pressing issue for middle class neighborhoods, but other amenities matter. The cost of improving amenities in communities that are likely to survive for several decades is very small.
March 1, 2015 We Need to Study, Modify and Preserve TIFIn the coming months we must better understand the characteristics of good and bad TIFs using data, not just anecdote.
September 14, 2014 Focus on Shrinking the Federal GovernmentMost of our current problems are at the local level: schools, crime, housing, unemployment, and poverty.
July 20, 2014 State Taxes and a Slowing EconomyState income taxes are a good place to try to begin understanding state economic performance.
July 6, 2014 Court Rulings Uphold FreedomSome issues should stay as matters of individual conscience, not public policy.
May 18, 2014 Hoosiers Will Pay for Better Public ServicesTaxpayers are concerned with the value of government, not the cost alone.
May 4, 2014 The Tale of Three StatesThe balance of state and local government results in noticeably different outcomes in Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.
January 5, 2014 Economic Systems, North Korea and the ACAThe problem is that the economy we have is not a system; it is a series of markets that cannot be organized.
November 17, 2013 QE3 and the Labor MarketThe sign of a truly positive jobs report would be the decline of stock prices in anticipation of the end of QE3.
October 27, 2013 The Affordable Care Act into the FutureThe ACA must work for more than 30 million households—one-third of whom are functionally illiterate, and another third of whom have no computer or internet at home.
October 20, 2013 A Still Uncertain EconomySomething remains terribly wrong in the U.S. economy, but there are some tantalizing hints
October 13, 2013 Welcome the Debate, Even If It Ain’t PrettyThe size and scope of our government is in tension with the available dollars we can tax from households and businesses.
March 10, 2013 The Sequester of the FutureThings will get worse before they get better.
November 18, 2012 Thelma and Louise Approach the Fiscal CliffThe spending cuts of the fiscal cliff will be far less broadly injurious than most suppose.
October 7, 2012 Bernanke Visits IndyBernanke maintained that monetary policy was not a panacea for our economic woes.
July 22, 2012 Job Creation and DestructionGovernments don't create jobs, businesses do.
July 9, 2012 Smart Cuts in GovernmentIt is often argued that government workers are overpaid and over-benefitted, but I think that the composition of the government workforce is a more pressing matter.
April 2, 2012 The Joke's on Us with Social SecurityIf treated as a financial investment, Social Security is a really very effective way to destroy wealth.
May 28, 2007 Can a Democracy Manage Budgets? "...in the case of Indiana’s sales tax on gasoline, a move to suspend the tax would have some especially bad repercussions."

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